British bass Barnaby Rea is a former Harewood Artist at English National Opera (2013-16) who has recently joined the solo ensemble at Oper Frankfurt.

The 16/17 season at Oper Frankfurt sees Barnaby undertake the roles of Lord Tristan Mickleford in Flotow’s Martha, a voice / Herald / Farmer in Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher with Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard and Saretzki in Eugene Onegin - all three new productions - as well as performing in revivals of Verdi’s Falstaff and Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress as Pistola and Keeper of the Madhouse respectively.

The 16/17 season also sees him return to English National Opera as Sparafucile in Jonathan Miller’s much loved staging of Verdi’s Rigoletto and he appears as Hobson in concert performances of Britten’s Peter Grimes with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardiner at both the Bergen International Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.

Recent and future highlights on the concert platform include Verdi’s Requiem live on BBC Radio 3 with Barry Wordsworth at the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham, Mozart’s Requiem at London’s Royal Festival Hall, Vom Tod im Wald and the Mahagonny Songspiel at Kings Place concert hall in London with the Continuum Ensemble and MotherThe Seven Deadly Sins at the National Concert Hall in Dublin with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra - all works by Kurt Weill. Barnaby also live recorded Bob BeckettHMS Pinafore at the Edinburgh International Festival under the baton of Richard Egarr.

Barnaby trained at the National Opera Studio where he was supported by Scottish Opera and a Sybil Tutton Award administered by the Musicians Benevolent and before that graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied on the highly acclaimed opera course and was generously supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Musicians Benevolent Fund, the Wingate foundation, the Hope Chest, Serena Fenwick, Towergate and the Worshipful Company of Gold & Silver Wyre Drawers. He continues to study under the guidance of John Evans. Operatic roles towards the end of his time at GSMD included Bottom/Theseus in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Barbican Theatre, Falstaff in Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Dr. Gibbs in the European premiere of Ned Rorem’s Our Town (GSMD) and CollatinusThe Rape of Lucretia (British Youth Opera).

Barnaby Rea gave a superlative performance as Sparafucile, his stage presence combining black menace with a sense of griminess that was entirely at home in this production, while his rich, resonant bass made for a thrilling vocal performance.

Dominic Lowe, bachtrack.com

Barnaby Rea’s cultured bass as the menacing Sparafucile…gave a masterclass of how opera can be performed in English.

Jim Pritchard, seenandheard-international.com

Barnaby Rea’s Sparafucile…outstanding.

David Gutman, The Stage

In a production that has Sparafucile merging in and out of the shadows like a wraith, Barnaby Rea and his sinuous baritone dominated the scenes he was in.

Peter Reed, classicalsource.com

Outstanding Brit, Barnaby Rea, steals the show with his powerful Sparafucile.

I have often recalled with pleasure Barnaby Rea’s vivid Colline, a part normally done well but here done very well.

Russ McDonald, Opera

There was no weak link and George Humphreys (Schaunard), Barnaby Rea (Colline) and George von Bergen (Marcello) were a very talented trio of personable youthful bohemians – both as singers and committed actors.

Madam Butterfly (Bonze) / I Gioielli della Madonna (Rocco)

Opera Holland Park, London (July 2013)

And it’s clear that the show’s French-Japanese movement-director Namiko Gahier-Ogawa has put everyone on stage through some rigorous training in the language of Japanese theatrical gesture: we feel this most intensely with the characterisation of Cio-Cio San’s family, with Barnaby Rea’s magnificently forbidding Bonze, and with the characterisation of Cio-Cio San herself

Michael Church, The Independent

Barnaby Rea's Bonze was something incredible and distinctly memorable for such a small appearance; this is a singer whose career must be watched for his booming voice and clarion tone!

Fritz Curzon, Musical Criticism

Barnaby Rea has an impressive bass voice that can fill the marquee...

Gavin Dixon, Opera Britannia

...and there were excellent contributions from...Barnaby Rea.

Miranda Jackson, Opera Britannia

Rafaello's leading henchmen were Robert Burt and Barnaby Rea... All were admirable, giving strongly characterised performances and creating a superb ensemble.

Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill

Our Town (Ned Rorem), June 2012

Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Barnaby Rea was a fine, sonorous Dr. Gibbs

Neil Fisher, The Times

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, February 2012

Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Barnaby Rea is an outstanding Bottom, surely a bass going places.

Neil Fisher, The Times

Barnaby Rea was an entertaining Bottom with neat comic timing and a warm bass-baritone. It’s a gift of a role and the audience lapped up his antics.

Mark Pullinger, Opera Britannia

Barnaby Rea is splendid as Bottom: his vocal control, musicality and acting ability (including body language in his role as the donkey) are very impressive.

Agnes Kory, Musical Criticism

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Barnaby Rea gave a superlative performance as Sparafucile, his stage presence combining black menace with a sense of griminess that was entirely at home in this production, while his rich, resonant bass made for a thrilling vocal performance.

Dominic Lowe, bachtrack.com

Barnaby Rea’s cultured bass as the menacing Sparafucile…gave a masterclass of how opera can be performed in English.

Jim Pritchard, seenandheard-international.com

Barnaby Rea’s Sparafucile…outstanding.

David Gutman, The Stage

In a production that has Sparafucile merging in and out of the shadows like a wraith, Barnaby Rea and his sinuous baritone dominated the scenes he was in.

Peter Reed, classicalsource.com

Outstanding Brit, Barnaby Rea, steals the show with his powerful Sparafucile.